As if drawing the coveted Wyoming Super Tag ‘trifecta’ hunting tag last spring wasn’t enough, Nate Miller of Thermopolis went on to bag all three species that he selected: Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain goat and Shiras moose.
To top that, his moose could end up being one for the record books. And to top that, he also drew a regular season elk tag and ended up shooting a bull about as big as anybody could hope to find in Wyoming.
The only bad part of his fall 2025 hunting season was not drawing the mule deer tag he put in for.
But in the end, that wasn’t so bad.
“I put in for a hard-to-draw (deer hunt) area, which I didn’t draw, thankfully. Because that would have been one more animal to try to get” when there was barely enough time for the other hunts, he said.
During an interview with Cowboy State Daily, he joked about selling his hunting rifles, because there’s no way he can hope to top this past hunting season.
“I think it was a lot of luck. But it was a lot of work too. The biggest thing is, I didn’t do it alone,” Miller said.
Without the help of friends and family, there’s no way things would have come together they way they did, he said.
The Trifecta, Every Hunter’s Dream
Miller put in for Wyoming’s Super Tag hunting tag raffle, not expecting to win anything. He beat astronomical odds to draw the most coveted prize of all, the three-species “trifecta” tag.
Trifecta winner is allowed to pick any three of 10 big game and trophy game species in Wyoming. Those include Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Shiras moose, elk, mountain goat, mule deer or white-tailed deer, bison, pronghorn, mountain lion, wolf and black bear.
For his trifecta, Miller selected mountain goat, bighorn sheep and moose.
Winning a Super Tag drawing does not count against preference points hunters have built up for future tag drawings for certain species.
Miller said he already had numerous points built up for a moose tag, and will probably try drawing another one in years to come.
As far as the bighorn sheep and mountain goat hunts, “those were once-in-a-lifetime for me,” he said.
Four Hunts, Four Successes
During all his hunts, Miller carried his father Scott’s .300 Winchester Magnum rifle. And he didn’t skimp on ammunition when it came time for target practice.
“I put 100 to 200 rounds through that rifle over the summer. So I knew if I missed anything, it was because of me, and not the gun,” he said.
His first success came on Aug. 1, when he shot a nice bighorn sheep ram in the remote Francs Peak area in northwest Wyoming.
He was helped on that hunt by close friends Josh, McCoy and Jhett Longwell.
They went in wondering how many grizzlies they’d encounter.
In late summer, Francs Peak is veritable grizzly magnet. The bears gather on the mountain to gorge on migrating moths. The moths take shelter under rocks at high altitudes, right where the bighorn sheep usually are.
However, “we saw only one grizzly up there,” Miller said.
Next came a mountain goat hunt in the Beartooth mountains, with help from friends Meade Dominick, John Foos, and John Bitner.
The goat was one the smaller side, “the least-trophy” of the game he bagged during his incredible season.
However, “the trophy is in the eye of the hunter,” and Miller was satisfied in that regard.
Plus, “the really huge Billy goats were way up the mountains, in places I wasn’t sure I wanted to try going,” he said with a laugh.
In October, he veered away from his trifecta hunts to go after elk in Northwest Wyoming.
He ended up shooting a bull that exceeded his expectations.
Initial measurements according to the time-honored Boone and Crockett trophy scoring system, the bull had a gross score of over 380 inches and 372 net.
Bulls in the 370-inch range are rare in Wyoming.
Mighty Moose
Filling the moose tag took a bit more time, over the course of three trips to the Snowy Range mountains in southeast Wyoming.
The Snowies are home to one of the Wyoming’s most robust moose population, which is known to produce huge bulls.
Aided by his father and Cody Tully, Miller found one bull moose after another.
Many of those bulls were giants, but Miller refrained from pulling the trigger. He was holding out for something exceptional.
His chance finally came during a whirlwind trip to the Snowies on Nov. 1.
“I drove down there at 1 a.m., because I’d spent Halloween with my kids,” he said.
Shiras moose, which populate the Lower 48 and parts of Canada, are smaller than Alaska moose.
But for the sub-species, Miller’s bull was something else.
Boone and Crockett measurements for moose are “really complex” but the preliminary verdict is that his bull will come in at 165 to 180 inches, he said.
“It will go into the record books for Shiras moose for sure,” he said.
Miller is having shoulder mounts made of all his trophies from the 2025 season. The mounts are being done by Cedar Mountain Taxidermy in Cody, owned by Donny and Rachel Paul.
Rachel Paul told Cowboy State Daily that it was amazing to see Miller’s trophies come through the door, during what was already a busy taxidermy season.
“We’ve been slammed” with orders, she said.
When asked which of the animals was the most impressive from a taxidermist’s point of view, Paul didn’t hesitate.
“Hands down, the moose. It might be the biggest Shiras moose we’ve ever seen since we’ve been in business,” she said.
Given the sheer volume of orders, Miller will have to be patient, she added.
“We have about a year turnaround time. He’ll probably get his animals back right about hunting season,” she said.
Know-How, Faith Family And Friends
Miller said that like any hunter, he dreamed of drawing the trifecta. But he didn’t realize how daunting it would be.
“I didn’t understand the anxiety that came with the gravity of it once you draw it,” and must cram three top-tier hunts into a single season.
He said that his previous experience in hunting, and being humble enough to ask for a hand, led to his success.
“A big part of it is knowledge. Understanding your capabilities and not being afraid to ask for help,” Miller said.
Faith and family played a role too, he added.
I would like to thank my savior, Jesus Christ, for blessing me with the opportunity to hunt the trifecta, and my wife Andrea for supporting me and taking care of the house and kids so I could chase my dreams,” he said.
And as far as joking about selling his rifles and retiring from hunting?
That’s not going to happen, Miller said.
“This past hunting season definitely will not be topped. But I will enjoy trying,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
